1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a hose reel system and, more particularly to a hose reel system for winding and unwinding a liquid manure hose on an agricultural field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art of agricultural liquid manure application to lay out a hose along the path of the manure application. A liquid manure supply and pump are connected to one end of the hose, and the manure applicator is connected to the other end. The manure applicator travels across the field delivering manure to the field for use as fertilizer. As it is desirable to quickly lay out and remove a hose from a field, it is known in the art to use hose reel systems which are pulled by a tractor or similar vehicle. Prior art hose reels typically include a large mechanically driven spool coupled to a wheeled frame. To lay out the hose, the hose is coupled at one end to a pump or similar stationary object. The vehicle then pulls the hose reel as the hose unwinds from the spool, and lays out along the agricultural field. When it is desirable to remove the hose from the field, the hose is coupled to the hose reel and a motor on the hose reel is used to drive the spool and wind the hose onto the reel.
One drawback associated with the prior art is the tendency for the hose to wind on the spool in a single spot. This causes overlapping and tangling of the hose, which can lead to twists, kinks and other malfunctions associated with the hose. It can also lead to the hose tying up on itself as it winds on the spool. When it is desired to unwind the hose from the spool, the hose may catch against itself and may cause tearing or ripping of the hose.
It is also known in the art to provide a means for pivoting the hose reel as the hose is being wound around the spool. By pivoting the hose reel, the hose winds along the spool more evenly. One drawback associated with prior art pivoting hose reels is that they simply turn back and forth. While the back and forth motion tends to wind the hose somewhat more evenly along the spool, the turning is difficult to control and does not maximize the efficiency of the winding of the hose along the spool.
Another drawback associated with the prior art is the difficulty associated with winding the spool most efficiently at the ends of the spool. As the ends of the spool are typically flat, it is difficult to obtain accurate winding at the end of the spool. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a hose reel which allows for efficient winding of the spool at the end of the spool.
Still another drawback associated with the prior art is the tendency of the hose to extend beyond the edges of the spool during winding. If this occurs, the hose can become entangled in the drive mechanism, causing damage to both the hose and the drive mechanism itself. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a mechanism for preventing the hose from winding beyond the edges of the spool.
Given the limitations of the prior art, it would be desirable to provide a hose reel which allows for more efficient pivoting of the hose reel during winding, more efficient winding of the spool near the ends of the spool, and means for preventing the hose from extending beyond the ends of the spool. The difficulties encountered in the prior art discussed hereinabove are substantially eliminated by the present invention.